10. Finding a) Approximately one third of first year students have experienced doubts sufficiently strong to make them consider withdrawing at some point during the first year.
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19. Finding h) Students reported different degrees of doubting
All first year undergraduates May 2009 Limitations Voluntary responses May not be accessing students not engaged with university NEXT TIME – UCAS TARRIF, WHAT DOES GET STUDENTS ENGAGED ETC. Talk about changes…ask more quantiative questions and explore where we need further information – when they doubted,
At NTU, most had decided to stay
Small number of non-doubters who withdrew
A Cramers V test was applied to 17 variables that asked students about learning and teaching. The variable with the strongest association with doubting was ‘I feel confident that I can cope with my coursework’. Examples of 17 variables were - My fellow students are supportive My family is supportive I have easy access to University resources (e.g. computers, library books that I need) I would know where to go within the university if I had a problem I like the house/flat/halls that I am living in I have an enjoyable social life I am confident that I will have enough money to complete my course Completing my degree will help me achieve future goals (eg career) Further analysis was carried out that looked at confidence in coping with studies and the progression of students within the sample. FIGURE 2 The box plot (Figure 2) illustrates those students who had not had doubts rated their confidence to cope with coursework higher than those students who had doubts and stayed. The students who rated their confidence lowest were students who had doubts and left. This suggests that strategies to increase student confidence in coping with their studies may decrease their likelihood of doubting and subsequent withdrawal. The box plot (Figure 1) illustrates how the scores given by these students in answer to the statement ‘I feel confident that I can cope with my studies’ (rated from 1-5 where 1= strongly disagree and 5= strongly agree) varies among students who have had no doubts and stayed (non-doubters), have had doubts and stayed, had have doubts and left and have had no doubts and left. The ‘box’ illustrates the middle fifty percent of cases. The thick black line across the box illustrates the median value. The vertical lines either side of the box (with a T at each end) indicate the remaining cases except the outliers which are indicated by a dot (with the reference number of each case alongside). Interesting group – no doubts and leave – but 4 are non doubters (12 left who were doubters)